Coast Guard cutter Morgenthau in new isle home port

The aging Coast Guard cutter Morgenthau arrived at its new home port of Hono­lulu on Monday afternoon.

The 43-year-old Morgenthau came to Hawaii from Alameda, Calif., to replace the 40-year-old cutter Jarvis, which was taken out of active service in October. Both are Hamilton-class, high-endurance cutters.

A change of command ceremony took place in November and marked the official transfer of crews between Morgenthau and Jarvis.

The Jarvis is in Alameda to be prepared for transfer under the Foreign Military Sales Program.

The Coast Guard has been trying to replace its aging Hamilton-class cutters with new National Security Cutters, but a funding crunch has resulted in only six being built instead of the eight desired.

The Coast Guard said because of the shortfall, no National Security Cutters are slated for Honolulu.

The Jarvis was the first Coast Guard cutter to be commissioned in Hawaii, and has called Honolulu home since being commissioned on Aug. 4, 1972.

The cutter is named after Capt. David H. Jarvis, who led an expedition to rescue 300 whalers stranded off Barrow Point, Alaska, in 1897.

The Morgenthau was commissioned on March 10, 1969, and was the eighth of 12 378-foot Hamilton-class cutters.